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Everything You Need to Know About Dental Implants

Regardless of whatever dental condition you might have, your dentist would always want to salvage your teeth. However, there are certain circumstances which will force you to lose a pearly white or two. Fortunately, that does not mean at all the end of your smile. Dental implants not only salvage the aesthetics of your smile but also reclaim the functions you may have lost together with your teeth.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are replacements for your dental roots. Unlike other forms of teeth replacement options, such as dental bridges and dentures, which only replace the crowns of the lost teeth, dental implants are able to anchor the dental prosthesis in pretty much the same manner as natural teeth do.

How are they held in place?

Dental implants are not only drilled into the gum and bone tissue but they actually fuse with the surrounding bone tissue as well. This is called the process of osseointegration or the fusion of the dental implant to the bone tissue. This allows the dental implant to be held into place permanently and the patient does not have to worry about the implant falling off when eating or speaking.

How is the dental implant procedure done?

Classified as a form of oral surgery, patients who undergo dental implant procedures are injected with doses of local anaesthesia in order to numb the surrounding tissues. Once done, the flap of gum over which the dental implant will be drilled into will have to be cut and lifted in order to expose the bone tissues. The bone tissue will then be drilled and the dental implant can be inserted into the hole. When the dental implant has fused completely with the bone tissue, the metal rod which connects to the dental prosthesis can then be attached.

How are dental implants maintained?

The beauty of dental implants is that they can don’t take a lot of maintenance. In fact, unlike other dental prostheses which require a lot of care instructions, dental implants can be brushed, flossed and exposed to mouthwash the same way that your natural teeth can be. Dentures have to be removed before going to bed and disinfected before they can be worn again, dental implants do not need to be removed at all. Because of the intricate manner that some dental prostheses have to be maintained, their wearers often suffer from poor dental hygiene as a result.